BCFG’s annual report is available now! Check out our latest efforts in advancing positive behavior change at scale: whr.tn/45chIIb

“Without exception, every high performer I’ve studied credits a host of supporters for success. Research has found that a willingness to ask for help is crucial to achievement.” — Co-Director @angeladuckw in her @nytimes op-ed on the power of asking for help. nytimes.com/2026/08/28/opini…

Team Scientists @MicheleJGelfand and James Gross were recently recognized with lifetime achievement awards from the Association for Psychological Science. Congratulations! psychologicalscience.org/pub…

‼️New Paper Alert‼️What does it take to change behavior? In a fresh Annual Review article, @JGVoelkel, @AngelaDuckw and I argue it's helpful to consider 3 phases of change: 1️⃣ building motivation 2️⃣ following-through 3️⃣ forming durable habits 🧩KEY TAKEAWAY: At each phase, different obstacles to change arise that need to be met with evidence-based, tailored solutions. For instance, at the follow-through phase, forgetting can disrupt change. But forgetting can be combatted by reminders or feedback. Impatience can also disrupt follow-through, but it can be addressed in part by making change more fun or providing access to commitment devices. These are not the only obstacles to follow-through, however, and different obstacles arise at the motivation and habit forming phases, which are best tackled with entirely different solutions. Table 1 from our paper (reprinted below) offers a summary of common obstacles to change and evidence-based solutions. ⭐Our review focuses on solutions supported by *high quality evidence*, particularly from field experiments with objective behavioral outcomes (e.g., grades, gym visits, hours spent volunteering). 👀Take a look at our new piece in the Annual Review of Psychology: tinyurl.com/change-annualrev… Huge thanks to our excellent editor @EliJFinkel. We're very grateful for support from @Wharton, @BehaviorChange, @Penn and @Cornell, which made this work possible.

In an exclusive exercept from her new book, Situated, @Wharton & @BehaviorChange's @AngelaDuckw explores the idea of “situational agency,” or taking charge of your circumstances and choosing the people, places and environments that bring out your best. whr.tn/4cT3qA5

Interested in working on research w @katy_milkman & @angeladuckw to promote #BehaviorChange? Apply to one of our full-time positions, ideal for anyone considering a PhD! June ‘27 start. Research Coordinator: bit.ly/4hqWSuX Research and Comms Coordinator: bit.ly/4cN5YzE

Why would hiding a bowl of cashews inspire gratitude? Richard Thaler (Nobel Laureate and BCFG Team Scientist) explains why we treat "now" so differently from "later". #behavioraleconomics #behavioralscience

📅 VIRTUAL Q&A: Have a question for Angela Duckworth about getting situated? Join BCFG for a virtual Q&A with @angeladuckw, moderated by @katy_milkman. The event is free and open to all. Bring your questions! Monday, November 2 | 1:30-2:00 PM ET Register: upenn.zoom.us/webinar/regist…

Some have argued that gratitude can encourage people to accept the status quo. New research by Team Scientist Tom Gilovich and collaborators found the opposite: people who were dispositionally grateful were more likely to do costly prosocial actions like donating blood, volunteering their time, and helping strangers.

BCFG joined friends, family and colleagues of Co-Director @angeladuckw to celebrate the release of her new book, Situated. Congrats, Angela!

Angela Duckworth’s new book on the power of the situation is out today! Read a Q&A with Co-Director Duckworth in this month’s BCFG newsletter: bcfg.substack.com/p/getting-…

People often spend time worrying about future negative events yet fail to take preventive action. New research by Team Scientist Gabriele Oettingen and collaborators shows how having people focus on positive aspects of their life can motivate taking preventative measures. doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000490

Thank you to the undergraduate Research Assistants who supported BCFG’s research this summer! We appreciate all of their hard work on advancing behavior change research.

When might the winner of an auction really be the loser? @R_Thaler (Nobel Laureate and BCFG Team Scientist) explains the Winner’s Curse in this clip from a BCFG event. #behavioralecon #behavioralscience

Can changing how people think about stress improve how they perform? The Washington Post spoke with Team Scientist @AliaCrum about her research showing that viewing stress as an opportunity for growth is linked to improved performance, resilience, and well-being. wapo.st/4wLSCvf

Can AI predict how people will respond in social science experiments? A new @Nature paper by Team Scientist @RobbWiller and collaborators had LLMs act as survey respondents. Comparing AI-generated results to real results from 70 studies, the AI-generated treatment effects were strongly correlated with the actual experimental effects. However, the AI systematically overestimated effect sizes. bit.ly/4bWppFw

Learn more about Team Scientist @GretchenChapman, Professor of Social and Decision Sciences at @CarnegieMellon who researches how to improve decision-making to promote health behaviors. bit.ly/4frpJND

A new review from Team Scientist @minzlicht and co-authors finds a paradox in how people perceive AI: AI-generated responses are often rated as more empathic than human-written ones, but when people learn a response came from AI, they rate it as less empathic. The authors argue this paradox raises important questions for AI's role in health care and emotional support. bit.ly/4wfdhrk

What is a nudge? @CassSunstein (BCFG Team Scientist and co-author of Nudge) explains in this clip from BCFG’s archives. #nudge #behavioralecon #behavioralscience

New research by BCFG Co-Director @angeladuckw and co-authors tracked kids' self-regulation throughout the school day. Kids who got squirmier as the day went on were rated as more disruptive and completed fewer years of education by adulthood. Lunch appeared to help reset kids' self-regulation, pointing to everyday moments in the school day that could be used to support student focus. bit.ly/4b4P6DH

New research by Team Scientist @marissa_sharif and Shannon Duncan finds a simple way to help people bounce back from small goal setbacks: encourage them to make up for it. For example, encouraging people who skipped their 20-minute workout to do a 40-minute workout the next day increased goal persistence after failure. bit.ly/4pa415b